Import Draft takes place Wednesday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

One more major event awaits the Saint John Sea Dogs before the junior hockey off-season truly begins.

The Canadian Hockey League will hold its 2025 Import Draft on Wednesday beginning at noon Atlantic time. For the first time, teams will be able to carry three import players, meaning the draft has been expanded to three rounds.

The Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick sixth, 67th and 128th. The two later picks could happen earlier in reality as some teams will opt to pass on their selections.

At the QMJHL Entry Draft in early June, Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard said the team plans on using all three of their picks. 

"Oh, we have a plan," Crickard said on the draft floor in Quebec City. "We have a plan. If the plan is executed, we're going to be really happy."

The reason Crickard was away from the team for an extended period late in the season was to ensure the Sea Dogs were ready for the increase in import players permitted on rosters.

The team ended last season with no imports in their lineup.

The Import Draft – as is said every year – is a very strange draft. It's much more about connections and who you know than where you're picking. But even the best plans can have a wrench or two thrown into them. You can only control what other teams do so much.

Like most teams, the Sea Dogs have had some home runs and big misses in the Import Draft. Saint John selected defenseman Florian Schenk with the seventh overall pick last year only to reassign him back to Switzerland halfway through the season. But not that long ago, in 2022, the Sea Dogs had one of their best showings in the draft, selecting forwards Pavel Simek and Eriks Mateiko.

The Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets will pick first overall after acquiring the pick from the Moose Jaw Warriors. The OHL's Brantford Bulldogs will pick second followed by the Victoriaville Tigres.

Sea Dogs past and present earn NHL development camp invites

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

Former, current and perhaps future Saint John Sea Dogs have received invites to NHL development camps, most of which are taking placing this week.

The only current Sea Dog to earn an invite (so far, anyways) is forward Zachary Morin, who is heading to Vancouver Canucks camp. Morin was passed over in last weekend's NHL Draft.

The Athletic considers the Boston University commit to be the 12th best player not picked.

"I could see him pop next year and put it all together without the pressure of the draft, but there’s also risk he remains a mercurial, what-could-have-been prospect who doesn’t have the interest or willingness to change his style of play," writes Scott Wheeler.

Two of Saint John's overagers from last season – defensemen Nate Tivey and Matteo Mann – have both received camp invites. Tivey will attend Colorado Avalanche camp while Mann will join the Dallas Stars.

Tivey, who captained the Sea Dogs in the second half of last season, will take part in Avs camp before joining Quinnipiac University for the 2025-26 season.

Mann, meanwhile, is no stranger to NHL camps having been selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023 draft. The Sackville, NB native was not signed by the Flyers, making him a free agent and able to join Stars camp.

Eriks Mateiko, who captained the Sea Dogs in the first half of last season before being dealt to the Rimouski Oceanic, will attend Washington Capitals development camp as expected. Mateiko was a third-round pick of the Capitals in last year's NHL Draft and will likely play professionally within the organization this coming season.

Everett Baldwin was the only player with Sea Dogs connections to get drafted this weekend. The Rhode Island native was a fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning after spending most of last season with St. George's School, a US prep school program. He'll attend Lightning development camp.

Baldwin was a second-round pick of Saint John in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft but he has yet to sign with the club. He's committed to Providence College for the 2026-27 season.

Jack Williams, a 2018 pick of the Sea Dogs who made his NHL debut last season, will attend Columbus Blue Jackets development camp.

We'll update this past if more players receive invites.

Notebook: Bezeau, Checkers fall in final

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Riley Bezeau and the Charlotte Checkers came up short in the Calder Cup final.

The Checkers fell in six games to the Abbotsford Canucks in a series that concluded on June 23. The Canucks took Game 6, 3-2, in Charlotte to win their first Calder Cup.

Bezeau appeared in just one game in the final. He finishes the playoffs with three goals in five games.

The 23-year-old completed his third season of professional hockey. He appeared in 24 regular season AHL games with the Checkers and five ECHL contests with the Savannah Ghost Pirates.

Bezeau spent parts of three seasons with the Sea Dogs, helping the team win the Memorial Cup in 2022.

JOSEPH INTERVIEW

First overall pick Alexis Joseph was a recent guest on the QMJHL's Around the Maritimes podcast. The interview begins at the 33-minute mark below.

The future Sea Dogs forward talks about his playing style, his time playing under-18 hockey, draft weekend, who he models his game after, his Canadiens fandom, goals for his rookie season, Atlantic Canada and more.

MACPHERSON MEDIA

A couple features on Jase MacPherson, the Kensington Wild goaltender who the Sea Dogs selected in the second-round of this year's QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Eastern Graphic has a story on MacPherson getting picked by Saint John.

“I think that’s probably the best team I could have gone to. I have a good opportunity to crack that squad next year,” MacPherson said.

The 16-year-old was also selected by the Summerside Western Capitals in the recent MHL Draft. Justin Harrison, Summerside's director of scouting, provided his thoughts on MacPherson to the Journal Pioneer. 

"He’s a great goalie. He’s a big kid. He’s going to have a really good shot at the Quebec league," said Harrison. "We fully expect him to go and be very successful with the Sea Dogs. With the new rules opening up with the NCAA, there are so many moving parts with the Quebec league now, so if he’s not there it’s great to have a guy who is close to home and we know is a fantastic goalie. If he plays for Summerside, that’s going to be awesome.”

More free agents added to Dogs roster

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

A few other players have been added to the Saint John Sea Dogs' online pre-season roster.

Forwards Max Donatelli and Bryce Cunningham along with defenseman Louis Métivier have all been added. They join an already healthy group of free agents that were previously added to Saint John's roster.

Donatelli, an 18-year-old forward from Rhode Island, spent last season at St. George's School – the same US prep program that Sea Dogs draft pick Everett Baldwin played at last year. Listed at just 5'9" and 154 lbs, Donatelli recorded 13 goals and 27 assists in 30 games.

Cunningham, a 16-year-old forward, was the first player to receive an invitation to Sea Dogs training camp after being named the MVP of the inaugural Dog Bowl back in February, helping Sussex High School win the tournament. Cunningham played 34 games with the Saint John Vito's in 2023-24, recording a goal and an assist.

Métivier, a 17-year-old defenseman from Matane, QC, registered two goals and four assists in 19 games with the under-18 Collège Notre-Dame Albatros last season. He also posted two goals and four assists with the under-17 Bas St-Laurent Albatros. He's listed at 6'2" and 170 lbs.

Sea Dogs training camp will presumably start the weekend of Aug. 16 ahead of the team's first pre-season game on Aug. 19. Saint John will play five pre-season games with three of them taking place between Aug. 19-22 – all of which will be against the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs will hold a development camp this weekend in Quispamsis but the roster does not include any free agents.

Coyle, Veleno traded in NHL

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Two former Saint John Sea Dogs were recently traded in the NHL.

On Friday, Charlie Coyle was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets by the Colorado Avalanche. Miles Wood was also included in the transaction. In return, the Avs received Gavin Brindley, a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a conditional second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

The Boston Bruins deakt Coyle to the Avalanche at the trade deadline. The 33-year-old posted two goals and 11 assists in 19 games with Colorado and added another goal in seven playoff contests.

Coyle, who spent the second half and playoffs with the Sea Dogs in 2012, has appeared in 950 career NHL games over 14 seasons, recording 485 points. He's also appeared in an impressive 126 Stanley Cup playoff games.

This will be Coyle's fourth NHL team after stops in Minnesota, Boston and Colorado.

Joe Veleno, meanwhile, was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Seattle Kraken on June 21. The Blackhawks received forward Andre Burakovsky in return.

The former Sea Dogs captain was traded to Chicago at this year's trade deadline after spending parts of five seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, the team that drafted him with the 30th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.

Veleno recorded three goals and four assists in 18 games with the rebuilding Blackhawks.

The 25-year-old has appeared in 306 career NHL games. He has yet to play in a playoff game.

Baldwin picked by Lightning

St. George's School

No current Saint John Sea Dogs had their names called at the 2025 NHL Draft.

The lone player with connections to the Sea Dogs to get drafted this weekend was defenseman Everett Baldwin, who was picked in the fifth-round, 151st overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Baldwin, a second-round selection of the Sea Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, recorded 20 points in 22 games with St. George's School last season. He also spent time with the USNTDP program and the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The Rhode Island native is a Providence College commit.

While Baldwin has yet to sign with Saint John for the coming season, it certainly feels like there is a good chance he will. But we'll see how things play out in the coming weeks.

Tampa Bay Lightning pick Rumford, R.I.'s Everett Baldwin in 5th round.

St. George's School D, committed to Providence College, has elite wheels

Signs point to him playing in Saint John in 25-26

— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) June 28, 2025

Sea Dogs forwards Zachary Morin and Olivier Groulx along with the recently signed Alexander Donovan were all listed in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings of North American players. All three will likely get invites to development and/or rookie camps.

It hasn't been a great run for the Sea Dogs at the NHL Draft. Eriks Mateiko (third-round pick in 2024 to the Washington Capitals) and Cameron MacDonald (fifth-round pick in 2021 to the Lightning) are the only Sea Dogs to get picked in the last five NHL Drafts. In fairness, it hasn't been a great few years for the QMJHL as a whole, either.

19 players from the QMJHL got drafted this weekend, the highest total since 2021. That includes three picks in Friday's first-round, which was highlighted by Caleb Desnoyers going fourth overall to the Utah Mammoth.

Development camp is back

The Saint John Sea Dogs are bringing summer development camp back.

The team announced Friday its roster and schedule for the camp, which will run July 4-6 at the qplex in Quispamsis. The list of invites includes 16 forwards, 13 defensemen, and four goaltenders.

Here's a look at the roster.

Forwards (16)

Egan Beveridge (returnee)

Madison Bouchard (2025 draft pick)

Dylan-Alec Chery (2024 draft pick)

Alex Donovan* (signing)

Elliot Dubé (returnee)

Olivier Groulx (returnee)

Nolann Heroux (2025 draft pick)

Alexis Joseph (2025 draft pick)

Dylan Krayer (returnee)

Matthew Krayer (returnee)

Zachary Morin* (returnee)

Cole Renaud (2025 draft pick)

Dylan Rozzi* (retunee)

Finnegan Sears* (2025 draft pick)

Elliot Tozer (2025 draft pick)

William Yared* (returnee)

Defensemen (13)

Benjamin Amyot (returnee)

Everett Baldwin* (2025 draft pick)

Julien Bonnet* (returnee)

Frederick Bourque (2024 draft pick)

Cameron Chartrand (2024 draft pick)

Oskar Drabczynski* (2025 draft pick)

Olivier Duhamel (returnee)

Jesse Dunlap (2025 draft pick)

Joshua Henry (2024 draft pick)

Matas Janulis (2024 draft pick)

Julien Lacroix (2025 draft pick)

John Lumsden (returnee)

Brian MacFadden (2024 draft pick)

Goaltenders (4)

Rafael Courchesne (2024 draft pick)

Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz* (2023 draft pick)

Jase MacPherson (2025 draft pick)

Sam Pitcher (2025 draft pick)

Players listed with a * were "invited but not available due to other commitments." That list includes nine players: Alex Donovan, Zachary Morin, Dylan Rozzi, Finnegan Sears, William Yared, Everett Baldwin, Julien Bonnet, Oskar Drabczynski and Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz.

Three QMJHL players picked in first round

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Three QMJHL players were selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday night.

Moncton Wildcats forward Caleb Desnoyers was the first QMJHL player off the board, going fourth overall to the Utah Mammoth. It's the highest a Wildcats player has been selected in an NHL Draft.

From Monctoon to the Mammooth! 😄 https://t.co/w6DbFt0DbT

— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) June 28, 2025

Justin Carbonneau of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada – who is apparently still considering joining Boston College next season – was selected 19th overall by the St. Louis Blues.

Lastly, Bill Zonnon of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies was picked 22nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

As expected, Erie Otters defensemen Matthew Schaefer went first overall to the New York Islanders. 21 players from the CHL were picked in the opening round.

NHL Draft begins Friday

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The 2025 NHL Draft begins Friday night.

It's unlikely any Saint John Sea Dogs will be selected during Friday's opening round, but there could be one or more picked on Saturday.

Sea Dogs forwards Zachary Morin was ranked 103rd overall amongst North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings while forward Olivier Groulx was listed at 186th. The recently signed Alexander Donovan, meanwhile, was ranked 197th.

Morin had a strong start to his first QMJHL season but struggled with consistency in the second half, finishing his rookie year with 16 goals and 20 assists in 50 games. He also appeared in four games with the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms to start the year. Morin is a Boston University commit.

Groulx became Saint John's top centre following the trade of captain Eriks Mateiko. Playing in his first full QMJHL season, Groulx posted 17 goals and 24 assists while suiting up for all 64 of Saint John's games.

Donovan signed with the Sea Dogs earlier this month after completing his fourth season at Shattuck St. Mary's. He posted 45 goals in 58 games of US prep school play this past season. Donovan is a Denver University commit.

Over at The Athletic, Corey Pronman's mock draft as Baldwin going 147th overall to the St. Louis Blues and Morin 155th overall to the Washington Capitals.

A couple other names to keep eye on are Sea Dogs prospects Everett Baldwin and Samuel Doyon-Cataquiz.

Baldwin, a second-round pick of Saint John in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, recorded 20 points in 22 games with St. George's School last season. He also spent time with the USNTDP program and the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. Baldwin is a Providence College commit.

Doyon-Cataquiz was selected by the Sea Dogs in the 14th round of the 2023 QMJHL Entry Draft. The 17-year-old appeared in 43 games with the Bishop Kearney Selects under-18 squad this past season, posting a 28-14-0 record to go along with a 2.29 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. Doyon-Cataquiz is a Quinnipiac University commit.

Matthew Schaefer of the OHL's Erie Otters is likely to be taken first overall. The top-ranked QMJHL skater is Caleb Desnoyers of the Moncton Wildcats, who should be a fairly early selection.

Free agents added to Sea Dogs roster

A number of free agents have been added to the Saint John Sea Dogs' online roster. 

Not including the recently signed Alexander Donovan, the 18-year-old University of Denver commit who signed with the Sea Dogs a couple weeks ago, eight forwards, two defensemen and two goaltenders have been added.

One noticeable attribute: size. There is some serious height and weight amongst this group of additions.

These adds along with the incoming draft class (both from the QMJHL Entry Draft and CHL Import Draft) should make for an interesting training camp. It's safe to say that Saint John's roster could get quite a revamp compared to what they ended last season with.

The team is expected to hold a development camp next month but no details have been announced yet.

Here's a quick look at the group of invites.

Forwards

Niko Baljak - the 16-year-old from Laval is big, listed at 6'5" and 181 lbs. He played in 24 games with the QJHL's Laval Prime last season along with 10 games at the Canadian prep school Viking VC Hockey.

Josh Frenette - the 19-year-old from Oshawa is listed at 6'4" and 209 lbs. He spent last season with the NAHL's Maryland Black Bears where he posted 10 goals and 15 assists in 58 games. He spent the previous season in the OJHL.

Alexis Gauthier - the 18-year-old spent last season with the Bourget Collège under-18 team, recording 12 goals and 45 assists in 62 games. He's listed at 5'10" and 141 lbs.

Tristan Gravenor - the 19-year-old from Montreal spent last season in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League where he recorded 16 goals and 24 assists in 53 games with the Portage Terriers. He's listed at 6'2" and 179 lbs.

Video: Behind the scenes with Sea Dogs at QMJHL Entry Draft

The Saint John Sea Dogs have posted an interesting behind the scenes look of the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft.

The 15-minute video includes some of the team's scouting meetings, player interviews, highlights from the draft floor and a few interviews.

More coverage of this year's draft can be found here.

Notebook: Calder Cup final tied 1-1

Ian Yount

The AHL's Calder Cup final is heading to British Columbia tied 1-1.

The Charlotte Checkers tied the best-of-seven series with a 3-2 overtime win on Sunday. This comes after the Abbotsford Canucks took Game 1 by a final score of 4-3 in double overtime.

The next three games will all be played in Abbotsford beginning with Game 3 on Tuesday night.

Riley Bezeau is the lone Saint John Sea Dogs alumnus on either roster. He was serving a one-game suspension for a checking-to-the-head major penalty in Game 1 and did not dress for Game 2.

Bezeau has appeared in four playoff games with the Checkers, recording three goals.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The Sea Dogs announced that they are looking to fill a number of game day operations positions for this coming season.

One of those openings includes a mascot performer. The team is looking for someone to "embody the spirit and character of Fleaburn, the team’s mascot." The requirements include "strong communication skills (non-verbal)."

The team is also looking for videoboard operators and game day staff. 

Sea Dogs prospects drafted into MHL

MHL

Three Saint John Sea Dogs prospects were selected in Saturday's Maritime Hockey League Draft.

Saint John Vito's forward Eliot Tozer, who was a 12th-round pick of the Sea Dogs in this year's QMJHL Entry Draft, was taken with the first pick of the second-round (13th overall) by the Bouctouche-based West Kent Steamers.

Tozer was the first player from the Vito's picked on Saturday. Forward Brock Lyons, the younger brother of former Sea Dogs forward Kiefer Lyons, was drafted by the Amherst Ramblers with the next pick. Lyons was not selected in the QMJHL Entry Draft despite Central Scouting projecting him as a fourth-round pick.

Two Sea Dogs prospects were taken in the eighth-round. Rothesay Netherwood defenseman Jesse Dunlap, a fourth-round pick of the Sea Dogs this year, was taken 88th overall by the Bathurst-based Chaleur Lightning while Kensington Wild goaltender Jase MacPherson, a second-round pick of the Sea Dogs, was selected 95th overall by the Summerside Western Capitals.

Newfoundlander Ethan Jones of the East Coast Blizzard was drafted first overall by the Valley Wildcats. The full draft results can be found on the MHL website.

The QJHL also held its draft on Saturday. Defenseman Benjamin Amyot, who has spent the past two seasons with the Sea Dogs, was taken in the second-round, 17th overall by the Valleyfield Braves.

MacDougall named CHL Coach of the Year

Gardiner MacDouagll was named the CHL Coach of the Year on Friday.

MacDouagll, who led the Saint John Sea Dogs to the 2022 Memorial Cup title, guided the Moncton Wildcats to a QMJHL championship in his first year as head coach.

From the CHL:

Named in recognition of former Ottawa 67s head coach and the CHL’s all-time winningest coach Brian Kilrea, the Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award is presented annually to the Canadian Hockey League’s top coach. Gardiner MacDougall becomes the first head coach in Moncton Wildcats history to win the CHL Brian Kilrea Coach of the Year Award. In his debut QMJHL season, MacDougall led the Wildcats to a 53-9-2-0 record and a .844 points percentage – eighth-best all-time in the QMJHL and 10th-best in the CHL since 2000. Under his guidance, Moncton captured the Jean-Rougeau Trophy as QMJHL regular season champions for the first time since 2005–06. Their CHL-best defensive showing (2.25 goals-against average) ranked fifth in QMJHL history, while their 144 goals against tied for the 11th-fewest in CHL history. The Wildcats also led the CHL in goal differential (+150), regulation losses (9), and penalty kill (86.4%), while setting franchise records in wins (53), points (108), regulation losses, goals against, and points percentage.

According to the CHL, he joins Craig Hartsburg (1994-95) and Gerard Gallant (2009-10) as the only coaches to win the award in their first season. Gallant, who is a PEI native like MacDougall, won the award as head coach of the Sea Dogs. He also won the award the following season.

The long-time head coach of the UNB Reds, MacDougall won U Sports coach of the year honours three times with the latest coming in 2023-24.

It will be interesting to see what MacDougall and the Wildcats are like next season. In normal times they'd likely be heading for a rebuild, but the team has gotten some American commitments in recent weeks and announced the return of goaltender (and Yale commit) Rudy Guimond on Friday.

QMJHL players to win awards on Friday included Mathieu Cataford of the Rimouski Oceanic (CHL Scholastic Player of the Year) and Maxwell Jardine of the Charlottetown Islanders (CHL Humanitarian Player of the Year).

Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna was named CHL Player of the Year. It's still unclear where he'll play next season despite speculation that he is leaning towards a commitment to Penn State.

Notebook: Changes coming to Station Street

Big changes are coming to Station Street – changes that will definitely impact traffic flow to and from Saint John Sea Dogs games.

Bike lanes are being added from the ball hockey pad all the way down Station Street and onto City Road, essentially connecting the Harbour Passage to the walking bridge. The change will see Station Street reduced from four lanes to three.

From the city's press release:

In 2025, Station Street and City Road, stretching from Smythe Street to just east of the Stanley Street pedestrian bridge, will undergo a road diet, transforming the current four-lane roadway into a more efficient and accessible space for all users. This project will convert the existing four vehicle lanes into three, introducing dedicated bike lanes on both sides of the road alongside the curb. The remaining three vehicle lanes will accommodate two through lanes, one in each direction, and a center turning lane for motorists.

The city adds that "traffic studies confirm that the lane reductions will maintain acceptable service levels, ensuring smooth vehicle flow while repurposing historically overbuilt roadway space."

We'll see how this change goes, although the TD Station parking lot seems to be a lot less popular these days due to the increased costs in recent years.

FUTURE MEM CUPS

Le Soleil reports that, at this time, three teams have expressed interest in hosting the 2028 Memorial Cup: Moncton, Quebec and Gatineau.

The only issue for a potential Moncton bid is where the team will be at in their cycle come 2028. Quebec and Gatineau, both in the early stages of a rebuild, could very well be at the top of the league in three years.

All three franchises have hosted previously but none have done so in their new buildings.

The 2026 Memorial Cup will be held in Kelowna while the 2027 edition will be hosted by an OHL city. Notably, le Soleil also reports that the tournament format could change come 2027.

Sea Dogs sign free agent Donovan

Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs are the latest Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League team to dip their toe into the American free agent market.

The Sea Dogs announced Wednesday the signing of 18-year-old forward Alexander Donovan to a QMJHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The Connecticut native is eligible for this year's NHL Draft and is ranked 197th amongst North American skaters by Central Scouting.

“As we continue to shape our roster for next season we are delighted to announce the signing of Alex Donovan,” said Sea Dogs head coach and general manager Travis Crickard in a news release. “Alex has demonstrated scoring punch and a winning mentality in helping his Shattuck St. Mary’s team win the U18 National Championship last season along with his international experience. He is a quick, gritty player with a high level of hunger to improve who Sea Dogs fans will enjoy watching.”

In 58 games with Shattuck St. Mary’s in US Prep play last season, Donovan posted 45 goals and 46 assists. It was his fourth season at the prestigious hockey school.

Donovan also appeared in two USHL games with the Sioux Falls Stampede last season.

Listed at 5'11" and 170 lbs, Donovan played with Team USA at last year's Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he recorded a goal and four assists in five games, finishing in a tie for the team's scoring lead.

The forward is committed to the NCAA's University of Denver for the 2026-27 season, one of college hockey's best programs in recent years. He was selected first overall by the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the 2023 QMJHL American Draft.

Donovan's time with the Sea Dogs may be short, but he could add some serious offensive firepower to a team that struggled to score last season. The Sea Dogs finished with a league low 2.38 goals per game.

Saint John is looking much stronger offensively to start this season compared to how they ended the last with the additions of Donovan; at least a couple forwards from their 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft class; their returning players; plus the potential for more impact adds through the CHL Import Draft and free agency.

NCDC expansion teams have names, logos

Charlotte County's new junior hockey teams now have names and logos.

The NCDC officially announced Tuesday that the St. Stephen-based franchise will be called the St. Croix Seawolves while the Blacks Harbour-based squad will be named the Eastern Charlotte Kingfishers. Both teams have the same owner, Ted Colley.

From the NCDC:

The Seawolves name was submitted by a resident of Lachine, Que. Season tickets were awarded to the winners of both team-naming contests, but as the resident lived far from St. Croix, N.B., that winner was happy to see the season tickets instead go to a member of the St. Croix community.

The Kingfishers were the name of a local minor hockey team more than 30 years ago. That name was submitted three times, so there was an extra draw to select the winner of the season tickets.

Both teams will play in the New England Division of the NCDC, along with the fellow expansion Woodstock Slammers and Presque Isle Frontiers. The league has an updated footprint on their website.

Crickard on Saint John's 2025 draft

Vincent Ethier / QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY – Travis Crickard's been through Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Drafts in the past – but none quite like this.

The 2025 edition was Crickard's first draft as the general manager of the Saint John Sea Dogs, a team that entered the weekend with the first overall pick and another two selections in the opening round.

"Pretty stressful going through it the first time," Crickard said shortly after the 12-round draft ended on Saturday at Quebec City's Videotron Centre. "Fortunately we hired a scouting staff that's relatively experienced, so that was really helpful to me. It was kind of understanding strategy more than anything. I think there's some other teams that are kind of in the same cycle as we are, and they would give me insight into maybe what they're thinking and what we should do, so that was helpful."

The Sea Dogs leave the draft with forward Alexis Joseph, considered by most to be the top player in this draft class; another first-rounder in forward Nolann Héroux; and 10 other prospects.

Crickard explained that while Saint John, obviously, wanted to leave the draft with the best players they could get, they also wanted to increase their bank of picks for this draft and future years. The team took a number of timeouts before making picks, ultimately moving down a couple times in exchange for additional selections.

The Sea Dogs considered moving down from pick No. 10 but opted to keep the selection.

"The guys are happy about who we got, so I need to trust them with their job. I'm happy about that, too."

With the NCAA rule change, there was much talk about an increase in Americans being picked during this year's draft. The Sea Dogs picked three on Saturday: forward Everett Baldwin in the second round; forward Finnegan Sears in the sixth round and defenseman Oskar Drabczynski in the seventh round. None were in attendance. 

"There'll be some work," Crickard said in getting the three to report. "We've had discussions with them leading into the draft, following them throughout the year. But we trust what we're doing with our recruitment to bring players in and whether it's this year or next year, we trust that we'll be able to get to them here."

Notebook: New playoff format coming

Vincent Ethier / QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY - Prior to Friday's first round, the QMJHL announced an adjustment to its playoff format.

Beginning this season, teams will be reseeded based on the overall standings from the second round onward rather than the third round.

From the league:

The first round will continue to be played intra-association (East and West), but from the second round onwards, series will be determined by overall standings.

Previously, the first two elimination rounds were played within the association.

The QMJHL has also decided to abolish its four divisions (West, Central, East and Maritimes), retaining only an association ranking and an overall ranking.

The QMJHL also announced Friday that its streaming will move to FloSports.

IN THE HOUSE

Former Sea Dogs in attendance at this year's draft included William Dufour, Jeremie Poirier, William Villeneuve, Thomas Couture, Nikolas Hurtubise, Marshall Lessard, Brady Burns and Charlie DesRoches.

Along with those former Sea Dogs, current players Dylan Rozzi, William Yared, Olivier Groulx and Cameron Chartrand were in attendance.

Lions win ECHL championship

QUEBEC CITY - The Trois-Rivieres Lions are Kelly Cup champions.

The Lions defeated the Toledo Walleye 4-1 on Saturday at Colisee Videotron, taking the ECHL's championship series in five games. It's the first Kelly Cup title for the Lions who completed their fourth season in the league.

The Lions, who are the ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, include former Saint John Sea Dogs forward Nicolas Guay and defenseman Vincent Sevigny. Both had assists in this game.

Guay finished the playoffs with five goals and eight assists in 21 playoff games. Sevigny, meanwhile, had two goals and five assists in 18 playoff games. The d-man was recently called up to the AHL's Laval Rocket for a brief stint during the post-season.

Un moment en solo pour Vincent Sévigny qui savoure le triomphe des siens. #echl pic.twitter.com/URINLiaZEd

— Matthew Vachon (@MatthewVachon_) June 7, 2025

The two are the first Sea Dogs alumni to win the Kelly Cup since Olivier Leblanc helped the Florida Everblades win the trophy in 2023.

Lions netminder Luke Cavallin made 48 saves in Saturday's win. He was named playoff MVP.

This is the third time since 2019 that the Walleye lost in the Kelly Cup final. That 2019 loss came against the Newfoundland Growlers – the only other Canadian club to win the Kelly Cup.

In the AHL, Riley Bezeau and the Charlotte Checkers are still waiting on an opponent for the Calder Cup final. The Abbotsford Canucks currently lead the Texas Stars 3-2 in the Western Conference final. No matter the matchup, the AHL's championship series will begin Friday in Charlotte.

A look at Saint John's 2025 draft class

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY - The 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft has come to an end and the Saint John Sea Dogs welcomed 12 new prospects.

The Sea Dogs, thanks to a couple trades, made 12 selections over the two-day draft. That included two picks in Friday's opening round.

Saint John selected seven forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.

The Sea Dogs selected three Americans this weekend. As for Canadians, four players picked were from Atlantic Canada while the rest were from Quebec.

Here's a look at Saint John's 2025 draft class.

Round 1, 1st overall - C Alexis Joseph (6'4", 198 lbs)

More on Joseph here.

Saint John picks 12 players at 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft

Vincent Éthier/QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY - The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft has come to a close.

The Sea Dogs selected 12 players in the 12-round draft. The team took seven forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.

A full recap of Friday's opening round can be found here. You can check out more about the first overall pick, Alexis Joseph, here.

More to come.

	Player	P	H	W	Team
RD 1, 1	Alexis Jospeh	C	6'4"	198	Collège Esther-Blondin
RD 1, 10	Nolann Héroux	C	5'7"	150	St-Eustache
RD 2, 29	Jase MacPherson	G	6'1"	180	Kensington
RD 2, 38	Everett Baldwin	D	5'11"	173	St. George's School
RD 4, 58	Jesse Dunlap	D	5'9"	180	Rothesay Netherwood
RD 6, 94	Finnegan Sears	LW	5'11"	167	Rivers School
RD 6, 109	Cole Renaud	LW	6'0"	172	St-Hyacinthe
RD 7, 112	Oskar Drabczynski	LD	5'11"	185	Avon Old Farms
RD 10, 165	Julien Lacroix	D	6'4"	155	College Saint-Hiliare
RD 10, 176	Madison Bouchard	C	5'9"	159	Jonquière
RD 11, 184	Sam Pitcher	G	5'10"	151	Tri-Pen
RD 12, 202	Elliot Tozer	C	5'11	164	Saint John

QMJHL Entry Draft completes first round

Vincent Ethier/QMJHL

QUEBEC CITY - The opening round of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Entry Draft has come to a close.

18 players – only four of whom were not forwards – were selected in the first round. It was also a Quebec heavy opening round.

Here's a quick recap of what went down inside Videotron Centre on Friday night.

		Player	P	H	W	Team (Prov)
1	SNB	Alexis Joseph	C	6'4"	198	Esther-Blondin (QC)
2	RIM	Zack Arseneault	RW	5'11"	169	Saint-François (QC)
3	HAL	Malik L'Italien	LD	6'2"	191	Stanstead (QC)
4	QUE	Thomas Charbonneau	LD	6'2"	168	Shattuck St. Mary's (QC)
5	NFL	Benjamin Veitch	C	6'2"	199	York-Simcoe (NL)
6	NFL	Quinn Norman	LD	6'0"	159	Vaughn (NL)
7	CHA	Antoine Provencher	C	5'11"	180	Charles-Lemoyne (QC)
8	NFL	Phenwick MacLean	C	6'1"	167	Dartmouth (NS)
9	QUE	James Scantlebury	C	5'8"	171	Bishop Kearney (QC)
10	SNB	Nolann Héroux	C	5'7"	150	St-Eustache (QC)
11	VIC	Deryk Lemaire	C	6'1"	194	Magog (QC)
12	GAT	Louis-Étienne Halley	RW	6'3"	193	St-Eustache (QC)
13	GAT	Clément Landry	LD	6'3"	217	Laval-Montreal (QC)
14	CAP	Olivier Charron	C	5'9"	181	Châteauguay (QC)
15	SHA	Frédéric Bergeron	C	6'0"	168	Trois-Rivières (QC)
16	SHE	Emrick Nolette-Robidoux	RW	5'11"	161	St-Hyacinthe (QC)
17	QUE	Carter Meyer	C	5'11"	162	Rivers School (MA)
18	RN	Jayden Pominville	C	5'8"	141	Esther-Blondin (QC)

Sea Dogs select Joseph first overall

QUEBEC CITY - The Saint John Sea Dogs selected forward Alexis Joseph with the first overall pick in the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft.

The Sea Dogs made the selection Friday evening at Quebec City's Videotron Centre. Saint John earned the right to select first overall after winning the league's draft lottery a few weeks ago.

Joseph is the seventh player in Sea Dogs franchise history to be selected first overall. He follows Joshua Roy (2019), Joe Veleno (2015), Luke Green (2014), Simon Despres (2007), Yann Sauve (2006) and Alex Grant (2005).

Got our guy 😎

With the first overall pick in the 2025 #QDraft, the #SJSeaDogs are proud to select from College Esther-Blondin, Alexis Joseph!#GoDogsGo pic.twitter.com/yMwbzeMzSm

— Saint John Sea Dogs (@SJSeaDogs) June 6, 2025

QMJHL Central Scouting ranked Joseph as the No. 1 player available for this year's draft in their final rankings. A number of other draft experts also predicted the forward to be taken with the top pick.

Joseph's most noticeable attribute is his size. At 15-years-old he's listed at 6'4" and 192 lbs, certainly making him physically ready for major junior hockey.

There has been hype around Joseph for a number of years, including some talk of him applying for exceptional player status a year ago. He posted 25 goals and 28 assists in 39 games with the Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin in the Quebec AAA circuit during the 2023-24 season. 

QMJHL moves streaming to FloSports

QUEBEC CITY – The QMJHL will have a new webcast provider next season.

The league announced a seven-year deal with FloSports on Friday. FloHockey will stream all 576 QMJHL regular season games, playoffs and special league events through 2032.

“We always want to offer more to our fans, and this agreement with FloSports is a step in that direction," said QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini in a new release. "It's a historic partnership that will give our fans a new and improved webcasting experience. Technology is advancing at breakneck speed, and we want to be at the front of the parade in terms of customer experience. What's more, FloSports subscribers will also be able to watch games from the American League, ECHL and LHM18AAAQ, among others.”

As Cecchini noted, FloSports currently owns the streaming rights to the AHL, ECHL, USHL and a number of other hockey leagues. Subscribers will have access to all of that, a nice bonus that CHL TV didn't offer.

FloHockey also creates written, video and audio content, so QMJHL fans will have that to look forward to as well.

The potential bad news for QMJHL followers: the reviews of FloSports' streaming services and technical support are mixed, so we'll see how this plays out. The good news is that most QMJHL teams have built very strong streaming setups that should carry over to this new provider.

The announcement likely means CHL TV is dead with the QMJHL and WHL both moving away from the platform. The WHL recently announced an agreement with Victory+, which will make all games available for free beginning next season.

Here's FloHockey's current pricing setup. The annual subscription fee works out to be $203.88. The QMJHL league pass on CHL TV cost $129.99 this past season – but that didn't include playoff games.

The QMJHL, OHL and WHL have all been streamed on the subscription based CHL TV since 2021.

It's QMJHL Entry Draft day

Draft day has arrived.

The opening round of the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft will take place tonight at Quebec City's Videotron Centre beginning at 8 p.m. Atlantic. Rounds 2-12 will be held Saturday morning beginning at 11 a.m. Atlantic.

The Saint John Sea Dogs are poised to have a busy evening, currently holding the first, 10th and 18th overall selections.

Here's where the Sea Dogs are currently scheduled to pick this weekend.

Round 1, 1st overall 

Round 1, 10th overall (via Cape Breton) 

Round 1, 18th overall (via Moncton)

Round 2, 29th overall (via Blainville-Boisbriand)

Round 6, 94th overall 

Round 6, 109th overall (via Rimouski) 

Round 7, 112th overall 

Round 9, 148th overall 

Round 11, 184th overall 

Round 12, 202nd overall

Saint John last picked first overall in 2019, selecting forward Joshua Roy. Other first overall selections by the Sea Dogs include Joe Veleno (2015), Luke Green (2014), Simon Despres (2007), Yann Sauve (2006) and Alex Grant (2005).

6'4", 192 lbs centre Alexis Joseph is likely to be selected first overall by the Sea Dogs.

The Sea Dogs selected three times in the first-round of last year's draft, picking forward William Yared (fifth overall), forward Dylan Rozzi (eighth) and defenseman Cameron Chartrand (19th).

This is obviously a huge day for the Sea Dogs franchise. This draft class along with last year's will be the foundation for the club's next championship run.

Draft day is always an exciting and intriguing day – but perhaps none more than this year's. With the NCAA rule change, we could see some big swings, we could see more Americans picked, we could see some panic and we could see more drama than usual. It's a great time of year.

All the picks will be posted live on the QMJHL's website while the first-round can be watched live on Eastlink TV and TVA Sports.

Joseph appears poised to be top pick

Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin

Less than 24 hours until the opening round of the 2025 QMJHL Entry Draft, all signs continue to point towards Alexis Joseph being the first overall selection.

The 6'4", 192 lbs forward was ranked No. 1 in QMJHL Central Scouting's final rankings. This week, Puck Preps also ranked Joseph as the No. 1 player available, which comes after previously having forward James Scantlebury ranked first.

"For the team that drafts Joseph, I think you’re getting one of the higher ceiling players to come out of the province in quite some time and a future superstar center for your franchise," writes Austin Robson of Puck Preps.

If everything we're hearing is right, Collège Esther-Blondin Phénix forward Alexis Joseph will be the first pick of the 2025 QMJHL Draft. Puck Preps Eastern Canadian scout Austin Robson believes that’s the right call for the @SJSeaDogs.

Full episode👇

🔗 https://t.co/1yRSlgLzj4 pic.twitter.com/fpzMns2GNm

— Puck Preps Eastern Canada (@PuckPrepsEastCa) June 3, 2025

The Saint John Sea Dogs will select first overall Friday night at Quebec City's Videotron Centre. The first-round will take place Friday beginning at 8 p.m. Atlantic while the remaining 11 rounds will be held Saturday morning.

Joseph told Le Journal de Montreal this week that the QMJHL has always been his No. 1 option, further solidifying him as the likely first overall selection. The big question about Joseph – and a lot of the players being picked this weekend – is how long do they plan to stay in the league?

One interesting note on Joseph is that one of his representatives is former Sea Dogs defenseman Charles-Olivier Roussel, who now works with the Wasserman agency. 

In a Journal de Quebec article, Roussel wouldn't confirm how long Joseph plans to stay in the league, citing he – and all players in the QMJHL – will look at their options on a year-to-year basis.

2025-26 schedule released

Michael Hawkins/Saint John Sea Dogs

The Saint John Sea Dogs will begin the 2025-26 season on home ice.

The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League released its full regular season schedule on Wednesday. The Sea Dogs will begin the campaign with a pair of home games against the Cape Breton Eagles Sept. 19-20.

Saint John's first road games will be the following weekend when they visit the Halifax Mooseheads for two matches Sept. 26-27.

The regular season ends March 21 with the Sea Dogs visiting the Eagles.

Here are a few other highlights:

• The Sea Dogs will play in the Moncton Wildcats' home opener on Friday, Oct. 4. That game will feature the Gilles-Courteau Trophy championship banner raising.
• The Chicoutimi Sagueneens will pay an early season visit to Saint John (Oct. 5) as their arena boards get replaced. Victoriaville and Baie-Comeau are also having the new boards installed.
• The Sea Dogs will host the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies on Thanksgiving Monday (Oct. 13) in a 3 p.m. start.
• The Sea Dogs will make their first trek to St. John's since the 2007-08 season Oct. 24-25 where they'll face the Regiment for the first time. They also travel to Newfoundland Feb. 11-12.
• Saint John will make their first of four trips into Quebec Nov. 6-9 (Rimouski, Drummondville and Victoriaville). They'll also make Quebec trips Dec. 10-13 (Baie-Comeau, Chicoutimi and Quebec); Jan. 14-17 (Rouyn-Noranda, Val-d'Or and Blainville-Boisbriand) and Feb. 19-22 (Shawinigan, Sherbrooke and Gatineau).
• As was announced Tuesday, the Sea Dogs will play three "home" games in Fredericton: Sunday, Nov. 30 vs Cape Breton; Thursday, Jan. 8 vs Gatineau; and Sunday, Feb. 1 vs Baie-Comeau.
• The Sea Dogs play their final games before the Christmas break Dec. 17-18, facing the Mooseheads in a home-and-home series. They resume play Dec. 28-29 with a home-and-home against the Charlottetown Islanders.
• The Regiment make their first visit to Saint John on New Year's Eve. That Wednesday game will start at 2 p.m.
• Saint John's Saturday, Feb. 14 game against the Shawinigan Cataractes will be a 3 p.m. start. The Sea Dogs will then host the Victoriaville Tigres on Family Day (Monday, Feb. 16) in a 3 p.m. start. That weekend has typically been the team's "One For All" festivities.
• The Sea Dogs play their final regular season home game on Saturday, March 14 with a 4 p.m. start against the Mooseheads. The team will close out the year with three straight road games: March 15 at Charlottetown, March 20 at Cape Breton and March 21 at Cape Breton.
• The Sea Dogs will play seven straight home games Nov. 15-30 (which includes an Aitken Centre game). Their longest stretch of road games is just four, which they'll do twice.

Saint John's full schedule can be found here. The pre-season schedule is also available.

Also of note, the first QMJHL Prospects Game will take place Tuesday, Oct. 21 in Sherbrooke and will feature the league's 40 best players eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.